AWOL
by jarec
Summary: An ordinary killing in Gotham has Batman questioning his place in the League. Can Superman convince the Dark Knight to return? Not slash.


Alfred opened the door to Wayne Manor and was surprised to see Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter, standing on his doorstep. "Mister Kent, I'm so glad to see you."

"Where is he, Alfred?" Clark asked as he entered the immense mansion. His voice was grim and filled with worry.

"Down in that blasted cave, where he's been for the last week! What on Earth happened?"

Clark sighed, and started to explain. The JLA had been off-planet for a little more than three days, dealing with a crisis on Apokalips. Once Darkseid's scheme for galactic conquest had been foiled, the heroes had returned to Earth in high spirits. Even Batman had seemed marginally less angry and brooding than normal when they docked with the Watchtower. He had even smiled a bit before he teleported back to Gotham City. That was the last anyone had seen or heard of him for a week.

It wasn't just that he hadn't been in contact with the League; Lord knew that Batman hardly treated the JLA as a social club. He was there when they needed him and that was all. They'd all long since gotten used to that. But he hadn't been seen in public either, and Bruce Wayne had cancelled a trip to Metropolis without any explanation. Then, that very morning, Clark had received a letter from Bruce. It read simply "I'm Out" and the envelope contained his JLA communicator. That was when Clark knew he needed to speak to his friend.

As Clark opened the secret door that lead to the Batcave, he turned to Alfred. "Wish me luck, Alfred" he said, and began to descend into the darkness.

Eventually, he reached the massive caverns that served as Batman's HQ, the nearly mythical Batcave. Clark Kent had heard all manner of speculation regarding the contents of this massive cave; that Batman had his own nuclear reactor, that it was actually the antechamber of a lost city of Batpeople and even wilder theories. As he searched for the caves owner, he reflected that even he didn't know the full extent of Batman's resources.

Finally, his Kryptonian vision found his friend, seated before the massive computer that was the nerve center of the entire cave. On the screen was the picture of a young girl- a blonde with curly hair and dimpled cheeks, who couldn't be more than seven years old. She was smiling happily at the camera, a perfect tableau of childhood innocence.

Without turning around or otherwise acknowledging his presence Batman said "Her name is Elizabeth Dalsy"

Clark had long ago learned not to ask how Batman knew he was there. "Why is her picture up there?"

Now Batman did turn, and Clark was astonished to see that his cowl was off. Batman never took off his costume in the cave; for that matter he seemed to prefer it to his civilian clothes. In truth, at this moment, he would have preferred to see his friend masked- Bruce Wayne's eyes shimmered with tears, and spoke of unspeakable pain.

"Her picture is up there" Bruce said slowly "Because nine days ago, on the twenty third at ten fifty six PM, her parents were murdered. Gunned down in filthy alley during a mugging gone wrong. This child will grow up without parents, Clark, because I wasn't there. The killer escaped because I wasn't there. A little girl stood in the night covered in her parents' blood because I wasn't there. I made a vow, twenty-five years ago, that this very thing would never happen again, and I couldn't keep it because. I. WASN'T. THERE!" By the end, Bruce was yelling at the top of his voice, and Clark backed away uneasily.

"Batman…Bruce" he said, trying to calm him down "You can't blame yourself. We had to stop Darkseid, you know that! And anyway, even if you had been in Gotham, you can't know that you would have been in the area"

"Computer!" Bruce barked, turning back to the screen "Plot projected patrol route for the twenty third of last month. Highlight estimated position at ten fifty-six PM" As the massive machine began it's calculations, Bruce spoke again. Now his voice was calm, detached, and matter-of-fact. "All my patrol routes are set according to a schedule I devised. It's designed to give the entire city some coverage, and it repeats every three months. It's very exact, down to the minute."

A map appeared on the huge screen, with an X located on the grid. "Here's where I would have been during the killings, 23rd and Kane" Batman tapped another location on the screen, perhaps half a block away from the X "Here's where the killing took place, 521 Kane avenue. I would have been there, Clark. If it hadn't been for that damned mission, I would have stopped the mugging before anyone could die." In a low voice, Bruce continued "I wouldn't have failed them."

Clark knew without asking who Bruce meant; his friend felt that he had failed his parents by not being there to prevent this killing. "Bruce…" he paused, unsure of what to say. "We needed you there, Bruce. Would you have felt better if you'd stopped this crime but allowed Darkseid to conquer another planet?"

"I didn't swear on my parents grave to protect other planets" Batman growled "I swore that what had happened to them would not happen again. Besides, you didn't need me. There's nothing I contribute to the League that others can't do instead. The Question has the makings of a first class detective. Any one of you can out-fight me. Mister Terrific is more intelligent than I am, and Oliver Queen can provide any money or influence you require. You needed me there at the start, but you don't need me now. Since it's become clear that I can't keep my commitments to the League and my vow to my parents, I have to choose one. I choose to resign the Justice League"

"I can't accept that" Superman said, his voice firm "You know why? Because you watch over us. You are the moral center of the Justice League- more than any of us, you are always committed to doing the right thing. More than that, I know that if the rest of us crossed the line you would stop us. I'll bet everything I own that you have protocols in place to take down anyone and everyone in the League, if it becomes necessary. They may call me the leader, Bruce" the man of steel put a hand on Batman's shoulder "But you are our guide"

Batman was silent for a moment. Then, he said "All right Clark, I'll come back to the League on two conditions. One, my hours on the Watchtower are going to be cut so I can spend more time in Gotham. Two, whenever I'm away from Gotham, someone else must take my place."

Clark smiled; he'd never expected to get off that easily "Done. Now will you come back to the Watchtower?"

"Later" Batman said, standing up "There's something I have to do first"

* * *

Bruce Wayne knocked on the door of the small suburban home of Dr. Timothy Dalsy. Dr. Dalsy, the brother of the late mister Dalsy and the one who had taken his niece in, answered the door. "Hello, Mister…Wayne, isn't it?"

"Hello Doctor" Bruce said in his friendliest tones "Is she here?"

The doctor wrung his hands unconsciously "Yes, but…as I told you on the phone mister Wayne, I don't know how much good this will do. She really hasn't spoken much to anyone since, well…"

"Just let me try" Bruce said, entering the house and walking to Elizabeth's room. The young girl sat on the floor of the bedroom, half-heartedly playing with a doll. She looked very different from her photograph; her hair hung limply around her face, her mouth was cast in a frown and her eyes seemed lifeless. "Hello, Elizabeth? My name is Bruce. I'd like to talk to you"

"Go 'way" the girl said without looking up "Don't wanna talk."

Bruce sat on the floor next to her. "Sometimes talking can help. I know what you're going through"

"No you DON'T!" Elizabeth yelled, her eyes furious, and she beat on his arm with her small fists "How could you?!"

Bruce spoke as though she had remained calm "Because when I was your age, my parents were murdered too."

Elizabeth stopped hitting him and looked at him seriously. "Really? What were they like?"

"Well" said Bruce "My father was a doctor…."

A/N

I don't know why Batman is in the League. Okay, yes, one of the world's greatest heroes, but he's primarily an urban vigilante. He's never really sought to defend the world, just Gotham City.


End file.
